Villanova’s Cunningham still growing

Saturday

Mar 28, 2009 at 12:01 AMMar 28, 2009 at 9:23 AM

NCAA BASKETBALL: This season, Dante Cunningham is averaging 16.3 points and 7.4 rebounds, and has strung together three impressive games in the post-season. “The way he’s progressing, he’s still getting better,” said Wildcats forward Dwayne Anderson

Andy Vogt

Three years after his last trip to the Elite Eight, the memories are still vivid for Villanova forward Dante Cunningham.

“I remember being in the locker room after that game, just looking around and just being so proud to just be a part of that team that just went out there and battled,” Cunningham said of the Wildcats’ 60-59 overtime win over Boston College in the 2006 Sweet 16.

At that point in his career, Cunningham was only a freshman, coming off the bench for a team that featured future NBAers Allan Ray, Kyle Lowry and Randy Foye. But in every year of his career, Cunningham has become increasingly more integral to the Wildcats’ success. This season, he’s averaging 16.3 points and 7.4 rebounds, and has strung together three impressive games in the post-season, with two double-doubles and a 25-point effort against American in the first round.

“The way he’s progressing, he’s still getting better,” said Wildcats forward Dwayne Anderson. “This year, he’s scoring much more, and is always on the attack. I’m like a fan, even though I’m still on his team.”

Cunningham and the Wildcats have reason to be confident entering Saturday night’s East Regional final against top-seeded Pittsburgh at TD Banknorth Garden. The third-seeded Wildcats stormed past the Panthers 67-57 on Jan. 28, not only because of 15 points from Cunningham, but also through the job the Wildcats did in getting Big East Co-Player of the Year DeJuan Blair into early foul trouble.

Cunningham gave the credit to Villanova’s guards for Blair watching much of the game from the bench, saying their constant penetration caused Blair to pick up a few fouls. Still, Blair was held to seven points and eight rebounds, well below his season averages, which Cunningham said also comes down to hard-nosed defense.

“You can’t let (Blair) get free runs, free jumps at the rim,” he said. “You’ve got to always have somebody on him.”

Across the board Friday, Pitt and Villanova both said the last meeting will have no bearing on Saturday’s rematch, and that both clubs have improved immensely since then. And Blair emphatically stated that he didn’t have any scores to settle against his team’s in-state rival.

“That was two months ago – I don’t even know what happened a month ago,” Blair said. “It’s going to be a totally different ballgame.”

Pitt coach Jamie Dixon recruited Cunningham when he was coming out of high school in Silver Spring, Md., and said he’s not surprised Cunningham has steadily evolved into a dominant frontcourt player.

Cunningham averaged 2.2 points his freshman year, 8.7 in 2006-07 and 10.4 last year. Now, Cunningham is the leading scorer for the Wildcats, largely because he says he has “the confidence to shoot the ball, regardless of what’s going on.”

His teammates also say his defense has improved, and that even as the Wildcats’ tallest starter at 6 feet, 8 inches, he’s one of their best perimeter defenders. Guard Scottie Reynolds referred to a steal early in Thursday night’s game against Duke, where Cunningham stripped the ball from Kyle Singler and flew in for a dunk.

“He might not be seven feet, he might not weigh more than (his) opponent, but he can move his feet, and he’s strong enough that he can hold his ground,” Reynolds said.

While Pitt has had three barnburners in this tournament, the Wildcats haven’t had to sweat out any of their games in the final minute. After rallying from 10 points down in the first half to handily beat American, Villanova blew out UCLA, then scored 51 points in the second half on Thursday to rout the Blue Devils.

Cunningham says his team is peaking at the right time.

“We’re definitely playing our best basketball,” he said. “Because that’s our goal. To be the best at the end of the year.”

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